


It Comes at Night

by edelweiss2121



Category: A3! (Anime), A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, F/M, i added some non-canonical details about the aftermath of nachi's death, i imagine that this prob took place before or during The Stranger, or we can just pretend The Stranger didn't happen lol, since he has some resolution to stuff in that event, violent past is vaguely discussed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 23:02:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29957238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edelweiss2121/pseuds/edelweiss2121
Summary: Omi's past comes back to haunt him in the night. Izumi is there to hold him together.
Relationships: Fushimi Omi/Tachibana Izumi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 11





	It Comes at Night

It was well past midnight when Izumi finally peeled her eyes away from the budget. She stretched lazily, fingers laced above her head, and let out a tired sigh. The sound of her stomach grumbling made her quickly calculate how long it’d been since she’d last eaten. She’d really only had a snack around dinner time, as she wasn’t on cooking duty and had a lot of work to get done, so only popping in and grabbing a quick bite was ideal. Now, Izumi knew that was a mistake, as she was far too hungry to go to sleep.

She slipped her soft house shoes onto her feet and headed out into the stairwell to go look for leftovers from dinner. Omi always made enough for everyone, even when there were members of the company who wouldn’t be present that evening, so Izumi was confident she’d find something to eat before finally hitting the hay.

The muted lights of the television flashed, casting blues and whites against the walls when Izumi made it downstairs. The volume was very low, as if someone had turned it on after most of the company had gone to bed and was trying to be considerate. Curiously, Izumi peeked around the doorway before entering. Lying there, chest rising and falling peacefully, was Omi. He had fallen asleep watching TV it seems. Dressed in what were obviously sleep clothes, Izumi figured he must have had a hard time falling asleep and decided to watch some TV instead. She was frankly shocked he wasn’t busying himself in the kitchen, but that was likely too loud of an activity to do in a dorm in the middle of the night.

She gently snuck past him, smiling softly at his peaceful face. It only occurred to her now that she rarely saw Omi when he wasn’t busy. Whether it was cooking, cleaning, crafting, or doing something for one of his fellow dorm mates, Omi certainly kept himself working. It was refreshing and a little sweet to see him sleeping.

After reheating some dinner as quietly as she could, Izumi decided to eat it on the couch and see what was on TV this late at night. The remote was still in Omi’s hand. Channel surfing, perhaps. She ever-so-gingerly pulled the remote from his loose grip and began to flip channels while her food cooled. She eventually settled on a re-run of some trashy reality show she rarely had time to see. It wasn’t good quality entertainment, but Izumi was of the opinion that not everything needed to be. The bowl of leftover stir-fry was warm in her hands and she did her best not to slurp and accidentally disturb Omi, who hadn’t so much as twitched the entire time Izumi had been down there.

Her bowl was nearly empty, stomach nearly full, when Omi first began to rouse. Izumi thought he was waking up, but his eyes hadn’t opened. Instead, his head lolled from side to side, a pained expression pulling at his often-gentle features. Izumi watched silently, concern beginning to creep up on her. It must have been a nightmare. A serious one, at that. She watched his chest begin to rise and fall more rapidly, breathing becoming audible over the television’s quiet murmuring. She set her bowl down and was about to get up and go over to Omi’s couch when he jolted awake. His voice was choked as he whispered to himself, “Fuck, fuck….” Omi was sitting bolt upright, palms pressed into his eyes now.

Izumi was completely still, uncertain exactly what to do. It didn’t seem like Omi knew she was in the room. She watched him as he dropped his hands to his lap to stare at his palms, breathing turning from panicked to halted, before he really crumbled. It was scary, really, watching him have a breakdown that Izumi felt she had no right to witness. It was instinct that brought her to her feet then, and instinct still that brought her arms around him from behind. 

“Omi?” She mumbled against his back, her arms placed firmly around his body, a hand on his chest. Omi’s heart pounded against her palm.

“Izumi -” He jumped at the sudden intrusion. She half-expected him to shrug her off politely and give her a classic Omi line about being just fine. Instead, she felt his palm cover her hand against his chest. Head down, Izumi held on as Omi’s body shook. His sobs rattled them both. Izumi’s own heart was running a race inside her. This was so foreign to her, seeing him this way. Omi was incredibly strong - one of the strongest people she’d ever met. It didn’t feel like weakness she was witnessing, however. In fact, with his hand firmly gripping hers now, she knew he was stronger than she ever realized. He was holding in so much every day and keeping everyone from worrying about him. Izumi could relate.

Omi began to turn toward Izumi now, so Izumi let go of him briefly so he could face her. His golden eyes were framed by deeply pink rims, cheeks wet with tears. “Oh, Omi,” Izumi whispered, bringing her thumb up to wipe away the moisture on his face. “I’m sorry…” She said, uncertain what else to do but apologize for the pain he was in, even if she wasn’t to blame. Omi shook his head slowly, eyes downcast. He was still shaking, so Izumi took his hands in hers and stroked them with her thumbs. His head fell. His shoulders slumped. Tears dripped onto their hands. Izumi didn’t mind. All she cared about was that Omi was hurting. 

She pulled him to her now and he responded immediately, nestling into her chest with his face. His long arms coiled around her body, hands slipping beneath her top to press against the skin of her back and - as surprising a sensation as that was - Izumi embraced him. Sometimes the touch of another person’s skin could be grounding. It could remind you that you are  _ here. _ Even for how much taller he was than her, Omi seemed so small like this. Like she needed to pick him up and put him somewhere safe before anything bad could happen to him. 

It was too late for that, though.

She felt his body’s heat radiating through the front of her thin blouse. Her back was even beginning to sweat. Frankly, her top was getting damper by the second as Omi continued to shudder against her. She might mind more if she wasn’t in absolute shock. Izumi wracked her brain for anything to say, but what was there? She had an inkling that this was about his best friend who’d died. Or maybe something else. Izumi could imagine that he’d had a nightmare about something bad happening to his family - but it would have to be a  _ very _ bad dream for him to react like this.

She gently stroked his hair. His head was burning up. Izumi got really warm when she was emotional, too. In fact, she was sweating now. Part of that was definitely because Omi was currently a human furnace, but Izumi was certainly contributing. The stress of this situation had her feeling sweaty and anxious.

After a moment, Omi lurched away from Izumi and began to frantically wipe his face. Voice thick with sorrow, he began apologizing. “I’m sorry - shit, I -” He glanced at Izumi then looked away, sitting up to straighten himself out a bit. “You don’t have to do this.  _ Be _ here. I can’t believe I’m even placing that burden on you.” Izumi tried to take Omi’s hands again, but he pulled away and shook his head profusely, eyes glued to the floor. “Izumi, really, I don’t deserve it; I don’t deserve your care. Please, it must be late. You can go to bed.”

“Don’t deserve…?” Izumi was bewildered. Omi was nothing but deserving. All he did was serve other people. “Omi, you deserve to be comforted when you’re hurting. And you’re very  _ clearly _ hurting.”

“I deserve the pain. I  _ don’t _ deserve to soften the blow by having someone I love help me through it. Please, Izumi, if you know what’s good for you, just  _ go upstairs _ .”

Omi looked broken down and exhausted. Heartbroken, really. Izumi twisted her fingers around in her hands, conflicted. She wasn’t used to anyone in the company actually saying they loved her. Yes, their actions spoke louder than words ever could, and she’d never felt more loved in her life than when she was with her Mankai family. Omi had just said those words, though, and her heart skipped a beat when he did. 

That wasn’t what mattered right now, though. What mattered was the rest of what Omi said. Deserving of the pain?

“Well, I’ve never disagreed with you so strongly before.” Izumi said, standing, voice firm but quiet so as not to wake anyone. “I know exactly what’s good for me, and it isn’t going upstairs and pretending that someone  _ I _ lo-” Izumi’s mouth dried as she almost said she loved him, too. “Look, I can’t ignore you like this. I refuse to, actually. And there’s absolutely no reason I should.”

“You don’t understand.” Omi exclaimed, his whisper coming out strained.

“Explain it to me, then.” Izumi replied, dropping to her knees to get face-level with Omi. She rested her hands on his knees, staring at the back of his scarred hands which covered his face.

Omi was silent for a few minutes. It seemed like he was holding back more tears.

Without uncovering his face, he whispered, "I've hurt so many people, Izumi. Back in those days, when all I could think about was my rivals. When I was out for blood. We  _ hurt _ people. And in the end it got my best friend… my first love… killed. And how did I respond? By hurting even more. I didn't stop until each and every piece of shit I deemed responsible for Nachi's death had been brought to their knees. I wanted to see blood and teeth on the ground. I wanted their  _ lives _ . I…" Omi's voice broke at this point. "I walked away from their bodies, broken down and destroyed, uncaring if they would survive. I hoped I'd beaten them badly enough that none of them did…"

Izumi knew this. At least, she knew the short version. That day in the kitchen over baking scones, Omi had confided in her. He'd told the story then with remorse and humility. Now, she felt like a priest listening to a man's confession. Izumi squeezed Omi's knees. 

"Omi, you made mistakes when you were younger. We all do - some perhaps more grave than others - but we all do. And we all hurt people, sometimes on purpose… often on accident."

"Nachi's death was my fault. I blamed those guys, and I let it justify my violence. But the real one to blame is me…"

"What happened to Nachi isn't fair. It isn't your fault…"

"One of my rivals… one of the ones I blamed, he…" Omi slowly lifted his face from his hands. It looked as though he had aged years. Izumi swallowed, refusing to waver.

"He never left that hospital. That kid - he  _ was _ only a kid and I put him there. I wanted him dead and he - he never woke up. His family kept him hooked up to machines but… he never woke up." Izumi could feel him quiver under the weight of his conscience. "I went to his funeral a year after I'd… after he entered that hospital. I stood in the back. I left money at his family's door - as much as I could afford. It isn't enough. It will never be enough." Omi looked down at his palms.

"There's so much blood on my hands."

Izumi's eyes welled with tears. Watching Omi suffer like this was practically unbearable. Her voice was soft but firm when she finally spoke. 

"You may have blood on your hands… but Omi, you also have so much more within you. You look in the mirror and you see a monster. You see the angry, violent kid who turned to a gang to soothe his pain. You see your past." She brought her hand up to Omi's face, tracing the scar that gave his face all the more character in Izumi's eyes. Then, she pulled his chim downward, forcing him to meet her gaze directly.

"It is good that you see your past because you learned from it. But you are not that person anymore. You haven't been for a very long time. Leaving that life behind, going to college, joining the Autumn Troupe to pursue Nachi’s dream as your own… those were all moments where you turned your life into something worth living. When the people in your life see you, they don't see a monster. They don't see blood. They see what shines is your heart. The kids and the adults alike here… they adore you. Everyone can see exactly who you are, and it is  _ good! _ You are a light, Omi. You shine on people and keep them warm, make them feel safe.  _ I  _ feel safe with you. I trust you with my  _ life. _ You have long since paid for what you've done in the past. Punishing yourself further will not resolve anything. You're hurting yourself just to feel the pain. I can't let you do it anymore. Please…"

Izumi was choking back her own tears now. She was begging Omi to see what value he brought to every person's life that he encountered since she'd met him. 

Omi's eyes were shut tight, brows furrowed. "That's so hard to believe…" he breathed.

Izumi pressed her forehead against his, her eyes closed, and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'll prove it! I'll prove it to you by showing up for you the way you always,  _ always _ show up for each and every member of this company. For me. I'll prove how worthy of love you are. How much I..." She pulled away to look at him, still in each other's embrace. Her eyes met his and she could see the pleading look in them. Izumi's throat was tight. So close like this, the heat between them radiating like a sauna, she was suddenly shy. 

Cheeks heating up, Izumi would have recoiled by now in any other circumstance, but she didn't dare look away from Omi in this moment. In the back of Izumi’s mind, she thought about how often Omi deferred to others to keep the peace. How obvious it was that he worked so hard to take care of everyone here because he believed that was his only offering. Izumi hoped her words had sunk in. Every step that he took toward forgiving himself for his past transgressions was a step that Izumi would be happy to help Omi take.

Gaze trained on Omi’s glimmering golden eyes, Izumi murmured, “I’ll prove how much I love you.”

**Author's Note:**

> I might add a steamy smoochy follow up if y'all want. I have it partially written but I also like the stand alone emotionality of this one. Let me know if there's demand for some sexy times between these two! I'd probably post that as a separate M-rated work.


End file.
